“The ultimate test of man's conscience may be his willingness to sacrifice something today for future generations whose words of thanks will not be heard.”
Gaylord Nelson, US Senator
“मनुष्य के सद् विवेक की अंतिम कसौटी शायद उन भावी पीढ़ियों के लिए आज कुछ त्याग करने की उसकी इच्छा ही है जिन के धन्यवाद के शब्द उसे कभी सुनाई नहीं देंगे।”
गेलॉर्ड नेलसन, अमरीकी राजनीतिज्ञ
In India, November 17 is observed every year as National Epilepsy Day by the Epilepsy Foundation, to create awareness about epilepsy. Epilepsy is a chronic disorder of the brain characterized by recurrent ‘seizures’ or ‘fits’. The month of November is observed as ‘National Epilepsy Awareness Month’.
What is Epilepsy?
History Epilepsy Foundation of India:
The National Epilepsy Day is a national level campaign initiated by the Epilepsy Foundation of India to reduce the prevalence of Epilepsy in India. The Epilepsy Foundation of India in Mumbai, Maharashtra was established by Dr Nirmal Surya in 2009. Epilepsy Foundation of India is a non-profitable charitable organisation to help people with seizures to have a fulfilling life and to change their view about epilepsy in society.
State Cabinet of Arunachal Pradesh, headed by Chief Minister Pema Khandu, approved “Kaiser-i-Hind” as the state butterfly. Kaiser-i-Hind is scientifically known as Teinopalpus imperialis. In literal terms, it means Emperor of India. The butterfly is having a wingspan of 90-120 mm. It is found across six States along Eastern Himalayas at elevations from 6,000-10,000 feet in a well-wooded terrain.
The Kaiser-i-Hind is protected under Schedule II of Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972. Despite that, they are hunted for the supply to butterfly collectors. International Union for Conservation of Nature has red-listed the Kaiser-i-Hind.
Key facts:
As a lifelong fan of science fiction, I was thrilled to learn that Apple TV+ was bringing Isaac Asimov’s classic Foundation series to the small screen. I have to admit that my excitement was tinged with just a soupçon of trepidation, unsure as I was that anyone would be able to do justice to the vast multi-generational span of the storyline. But it was great that even an attempt was being made.
Occasionally, I go for a walk in a park. As I start walking on a cemented path, surrounded by lush greenery, some scenic scenes meet my eyes: the white storks on the green grass, the majestic peacock peeping at me from behind the bushes, and the trees filled with flowers.
The dew-filled grass glistening in the rays of the morning sun, the rise and fall of the land, and the vast expanse of greenery before my eyes, urge me to leave the cemented path I am walking on. I look at the soiled path through the wet grass. It looks straight from the Robert Frost poem, The road not taken. As my footsteps begin to tread on it, I remember the words of that poem, “I took the one less travelled by.”
As the agile squirrels continue to hop across my path and the chirpy birds continue to chatter away in the overhead trees, I continue my walk. After a while, when I pause to catch my breath, looking up at the sky, I spot a solitary white cloud floating in the blue sky. Seeing it, I remember the words of a Wordsworth poem, “I wandered lonely as a cloud.” I continue to wander on that lonely path. I look around. Not everyone in the park has a walk companion. There are more loners, which makes me realise that every man is an island. We must continue walking through life, even if we are alone. My poetic walk turns into a philosophical one.
As I walk on, my eyes fall on my footsteps. I look at how I am taking one step at a time. Maybe, this is the gist of life. Suddenly, the walk in the park seems like a walk through the journey of life. I look at the alternating phases of shadow and light on the pathway, signifying happiness and sadness in life. The intermittent darkness makes us value the light more.
The walk is long. I get tired, when my path goes uphill. It teaches me that sometimes the journey of life is uphill, while on other times, it is downhill, but it never stays uphill always. As I lose my way in the large park, I continue to walk the zigzag paths, not knowing where the destination is or how far it is. I think I am lost, but one path leads to the other, and soon the destination is in sight. I reflect that it is the same in life.
Before going, as I pause to witness an amusing scene of a squirrel scratching its armpit, I remember the words of a W. H. Davies poem, “What is this life if, full of care, we have no time to stand and stare.” Soon, it's time to go. And I am back on the cemented path, among the other walkers.
Simran Sidhu
Source: The Hindu, 14/11/21
In an era when everyone is online, the likelihood of cyber-attacks has increased significantly, as has the need for professionals in the domain. While the demand for trained people rises, there is also the need to bridge the gender gap in cybersecurity. Estimates show that women account for just 24% of the workforce. Apart from the notion that men are better at handling technical subjects, there is also the risk of discrimination and, most important, the lack of support for women who want to study in these technical fields.
Enterprises dealing with cybersecurity must understand the need for gender diversity and how women can contribute to this field. The first step would be to shed the image of “male hacker only” industry. This is a deep-rooted notion emphasised by web series such as Mr. Robot, Silicon Valley, Who Am I, among others. What’s more, job advertisements for cybersecurity positions are mostly focused on recruiting and showcasing the role as being more suitable for men.
Lack of awareness
The image of cybersecurity positions being focused on hacking and handling data breaches can be attributed to pop culture and media. However, cybersecurity involves a lot more with roles like security analyst, security engineer, security architect, security administrator, security developer, security consultant, cryptanalyst, security officer, virus technician, detection specialist being some that are important.
The under-representation of women gives rise to an uneven, and at times unfair, playing field. This consequently results in women getting isolated, requiring to overdo, compromising their physical security and so on. It would not be wrong to say that bridging gender gap will being enhanced creativity and innovative defences or solutions to field of cybersecurity.
Alka Kapur
“Ideas are like stars; you will not succeed in touching them with your hands. But, like the seafaring man on the desert of waters, you choose them as your guides, and following them you will reach your destiny.”
Carl Shurtz, (1829-1906), Writer and Politician
“सितारों की तरह होते हैं आदर्श; उन्हें आप हाथों से छू नहीं पाएंगे। लेकिन, समुद्र के नाविकों की तरह, आप उन्हें अपना मार्गदर्शक चुनते हैं, और उनका पीछा करते हुए आप अपनी मंजि